Development of the Office of Homeland Security

Upon his arrival in Washington, D.C. in September 2001, Governor Ridge was tasked to create and staff the White House Office of Homeland Security. At the outset, Governor Ridge was at a disadvantage. Even though his office was located down the hall from the Oval Office in the White House, he was given no large staff complement and the budget authority/funding provided to him was minimal at best. Even under these difficult circumstances, Governor Ridge and his dedicated staff worked to confront the myriad of issues before them and deal with these threats that had clearly changed the course of our nation’s history.

In this clip, Duncan Campbell discusses the development of the Office of Homeland Security shortly after the events of 9/11. Mr. Campbell served in that office as the director of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Video 3.5. Perspectives Interview: Establishing the Department of Homeland Security with Duncan Campbell